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American Airlines Terminal at Lambert-St. Louis
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American Airlines Cuts Flights From Lambert, Adds Service to Other Hubs
by Betty Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), September 17, 2009 - As St. Louis City officials lamented the news that AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle, plans to reduce operations at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport by 46 flights a day and discontinue service to 20 destinations, other cities were excited with the announcement that their hubs will see more activity.
The American Airlines and American Eagle network restructuring primarily aims to eliminate unprofitable flying and to reallocate resources to hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, Miami and New York. These four cities, along with Los Angeles, serve as the cornerstones of the company's network. American plans to build on previous investments in these cities and position its network to benefit from closer cooperation with British Airways, Iberia, and other one world partners.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay called the move "a mistake". In his blog, Slay wrote, "I think this is a bad business decision for the airline. American is cutting service in a good market and walking away from loyal customers. And they will walk away from approximately $108 million in system revenue." After the reductions, American and Eagle will provide 36 departures per day to nine destinations.
In a statement, Mayor Richard M. Daley said, "I want to commend American Airlines and their vision as they continue to build and grow their hub in Chicago. It is further testament to the fact that Chicago is truly a global transportation hub and a gateway to the world. I am pleased that American Airlines will be adding a new flight into Beijing, China, next spring. This new flight along with the new flights to Vancouver and Calgary further strengthen our position as a global city."
The announcement comes as Chicago awaits a decision by the International Olympic Committee on which city will host the 2016 Games.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert stated, "American is an important part of the North Texas economy and plays a key role in connecting Dallas businesses to other business centers throughout the country and around the world. We are pleased with the additional 19 flights and American's continued commitment to the city of Dallas and DFW. This clearly reinforces Dallas' appeal in today's global economy."
Gerard Arpey, AMR's Chairman and CEO, stated that the restructuring will help the company face today's industry challenges and return to profitability. According to a company release, AMR has obtained a total of $2.9 billion in additional liquidity and new aircraft financing.
Because affected employees would be given opportunities to relocate, the company anticipates the overall employee impact of the network changes to be minimal, and it intends to mitigate potential job impact as much as possible, including the use of voluntary options where applicable.
The move by American has opened the doors for other airlines. On September 16, Midwest Airlines announced it will launch nonstop service between Milwaukee and St. Louis beginning March 1, 2010. The service, which will include three daily roundtrip flights, will also offer convenient connections to and from cities on Midwest's route map.
"The Gateway City is a popular destination for business and leisure travelers from the Midwest," said Greg Aretakis, Midwest's vice president of Planning and Revenue Management. "As Milwaukee's hometown airline, we're happy to respond to our customers' requests for better schedules and more frequent service. Equally important, travelers from the St. Louis area will benefit from quick and convenient access to Milwaukee and cities throughout the Midwest."
Southwest Airlines recently announced that it will also add Milwaukee service beginning November 1, 2009.
Scrap Tire Cleanup Rolls Tires Out of Illegal Dumps and into New Beneficial Uses
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), September 13, 2009 - The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and its partners have cleaned up more than 15,400,000 scrap tires in Missouri since the scrap tire cleanup efforts began in 1990. If laid side by side along Interstate 70 from St. Louis to Kansas City, the tires would stack almost 24 feet high.
The state's Scrap Tire Fee, a 50-cent-per-tire fee charged on every new tire purchased in Missouri, enables the Department to fund the cleanups and provide grants and inspection and technical assistance efforts. The Department has spent more than $17 million on tire cleanups and grants since the fee was created in 1990.
"Missouri's program is all about creating end markets for a material that would otherwise end up littering our landscape and contaminating our land and water," said Mark N. Templeton, Director of the Department of Natural Resources. "The scrap tire fund provides the Department with the financial ability to maintain oversight and clean up scrap tires that threaten Missouri's environment and may cause a public health concern."
When recycled properly, scrap tires have other beneficial uses. They can be made into playground surfaces, running tracks and recycled rubber products. To help support those beneficial uses and end markets, the Department uses a portion of the scrap tire fee to provide Scrap Tire Playground Cover and Surfacing grants. Nonprofit organizations, including schools, day care centers, parks and others use the grants for playgrounds, running tracks, walking trails or other surfacing projects approved by the Department. The Department has awarded nearly 300 grants with more than $1.5 million paid to grantees and more than 9,900 tons of tire material used.
To help increase the number of tires reported and cleaned up from smaller sites in Missouri, the Department created the Tire Dump Roundup Program in 2006. Through this program, property owners can apply to have scrap tires cleaned up from their property at no cost. To be eligible, sites must contain between an estimated 500 and 10,000 tires. Active businesses and prior program recipients are not eligible for this program. The Department partners with the Missouri Department of Corrections during these cleanups and converts the illegally dumped tires to tire derived fuel. Using tire derived fuel not only has an economic benefit, but also an environmental benefit, limiting the amount of coal used in these plants.
The Department continues to work with Missouri's solid waste management districts, cities and counties coordinating tire roundups, and encourages and reimburses nonprofit groups in cleaning up dumpsites that contain fewer than 500 tires.
The Department estimates there are a total of 613,000 tires remaining in illegal dumps around the state. Of this amount, more than 313,000 tires are in known dumpsites. The Department receives speculative reports of dumpsites that have totaled approximately 300,000 additional tires per year.
For more information or to sign up for the Tire Dump Roundup Program, contact the Department's Scrap Tire Unit at 800-361-4827 or 573-526-3909 or visit the Web at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/swmp/tires/tirelist.htm.
Missouri's Automotive Industry Is Poised for Growth
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), September 13, 2009 - The Missouri Automotive Jobs Task Force, representing automobile manufacturers, suppliers, economic development groups, automotive workers and major universities, concluded that although Missouri's automotive industry has faced stiff challenges in recent years, the industry is poised for future growth.
The task force members noted that while employment in Missouri's automotive sector has declined by 35 percent since 2004, the state still maintains a skilled automotive workforce and houses major infrastructure and manufacturing assets that could benefit from future growth in the design and production of "green" or energy-efficient vehicles.
"Missouri is home to the hardest-working, most productive automotive industry workers in the world, and our state houses state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities as well," Gov. Nixon said. "Although our automotive industry has faced tough challenges, I am confident that we will turn this economy around and maintain a strong automotive industry presence here in the Show-Me State, especially as production of next-generation vehicles ramps up. I thank the members of the Automotive Jobs Task Force for their thorough and thoughtful analysis, and I look forward to reviewing this report carefully in the days to come."
According to the report, Missouri's highly trained automotive workforce and significant manufacturing facilities should position the state well in the competition for future automotive jobs. Specifically, task force members noted, the following characteristics position Missouri well for an automotive industry rebound:
* More than 250 automotive manufacturing facilities, including the Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo and a General Motors plant in Wentzville;
* A productive, dedicated and skilled automotive workforce of 25,500 Missourians, making Missouri the eighth-largest state in terms of automotive employment;
* A physical infrastructure of existing facilities, transportation, utilities and dealerships that strongly complements the production and distribution needs of the automotive industry;
* A history of producing nationally acclaimed vehicles, including the Dodge Caravan minivan, the Ford F-150 pickup truck and the Ford Escape sport utility vehicle;
* Institutions of higher education, including an expansive community college network, that graduates 2,475 engineering students annually; and
* A business climate that boasts central proximity to the nation's markets, low energy costs, competitive tax rates and industrial diversity
Based on these positive characteristics, the task force submitted the following five general recommendations to the Governor:
* Create an environment - as experienced by businesses and consumers - that is supportive of new technological developments and encourages consumption of new automotive technologies, including "green" or environmentally friendly automobiles;
* Enhance the resources dedicated to providing Missouri's auto-related workers - past, present and future - with the "hard" and "soft" skills required by the evolving global industry;
* Provide access to resources that assist automotive companies statewide in growing or diversifying their sales, upgrading their technological capabilities, and increasing their long-term viability;
* Evaluate and enhance the state's economic incentives toolbox to increase its competitiveness for new automotive investment; and
* Coordinate and focus efforts on identifying reuse opportunities for vacant automotive and supplier facilities
The 27-page report to the Governor outlined specific recommendations in each of these categories.
"This report will be a valuable tool as we intensify our efforts to revitalize and transform Missouri's automotive industry," Gov. Nixon said. "I am especially pleased that the task force placed a strong emphasis on workforce training and development, as I am committed to continuing our work with our two- and four-year colleges and universities to prepare Missouri workers for the automotive jobs of tomorrow."
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